QuestionsQuestions (PRC Memorandum Circular No. 2015-04)
Section 13 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10601 (Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law) requires all such entities—public or private—to have the required manpower complement of licensed agricultural engineers and certified technicians/operators, based on guidelines and standards promulgated by the Board of Agricultural Engineering of the PRC and the Department of Labor and Employment.
PRC Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2015-04 relies on Professional Regulatory Board of Agricultural Engineering Resolution No. 2014-03, titled “Guidelines and Standards on the Manpower Complement of Registered and Licensed Agricultural Engineers in All Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Pools and Service Centers...,” as the main set of standards.
Entities include: (a) machinery service centers established/operated by registered cooperatives or SEC/DTI-registered businesses in SAFDZs or ARCs providing specified services; (b) sales and distribution outlets of such machinery/equipment of concerned cooperatives/businesses; (c) machinery pools, service centers, common service facilities, postharvest/agri-fisheries processing centers operated/established by specified public/private institutions; and (d) manufacturing/assembling establishments registered with SEC/DTI (including joint ventures with foreign entities).
There must be at least one (1) registered and licensed Agricultural Engineer engaged, hired, or employed in the covered entities.
Section 2(2) provides that the agricultural engineer may be engaged as consultant or otherwise and may be on full-time or part-time basis depending on the magnitude of professional services needed.
They must provide: (1) after-sales service and warranty; (2) custom plowing/harrowing/harvesting/drying/milling and other farm mechanization services; (3) repair and troubleshooting of machinery/equipment; and (4) training on maintenance and proper use of machinery/equipment.
It refers to machinery and equipment for production, harvesting, processing, storage, manufacture, preserving, transporting and distribution of agricultural/fisheries products, including but not limited to tractors and attachments, power tillers, seeders, transplanters, windmills, harvesting machines, irrigation equipment, greenhouses/thermal conditioning equipment, livestock/fishery equipment, slaughtering and processing equipment, postharvest machines (milling/dryers/threshers/strippers), agricultural transport machinery, and storage facilities.
They include: (1) preparation/evaluation of project feasibility studies and technical specifications; (2) management/supervision of operation and maintenance; (3) training and supervision of technicians/operators; (4) management/supervision of sales/distribution outlets and assembling/manufacturing establishments, including preparation of designs and technical specifications; and (5) research and development to improve operations/management and manufacturing/assembling.
Section 4 requires that the registered and licensed agricultural engineer must have a valid and updated PRC license.
Section 5 states that compensation shall be in accordance with the Salary Standardization Law, the Labor Code of the Philippines, and prevailing professional fee rates.
Section 6 provides that both the Board and the Commission shall conduct monitoring and ocular inspections of covered entities for compliance with Resolution 2014-03.
Section 7 states that violations may lead to administrative and criminal sanctions and penalties imposed under Sections 31 and 32 of RA 10601, and Section 32 of RA 8559.
Yes. Section 2(2) allows the agricultural engineer to be engaged on full-time or part-time basis (including as consultant or otherwise) depending on the magnitude of professional services needed.
The MC anchors the manpower requirement in RA 10601 (notably Section 13), and it also references RA 8559 (Philippine Agricultural Engineering Act of 1998), particularly for the authority and/or sanction framework through the cited provisions (Section 9[a] and [g] and sanctions under Section 32).
It includes both public and private entities. Section 2 explicitly covers establishments either public or private (e.g., DA stations/centers, LGUs, academic institutions, and government agencies), provided they fall within the specified machinery pool/service center categories.
It empowers the Board and Commission to verify real-world compliance with the manpower and related guidelines and standards under Resolution 2014-03 through inspections and monitoring.